Music is always a great inspiration for me when I write. Check out the links below for the songs that inspired this update!

watch?v=3Qcv8gT7Mkc

watch?v=Il9ZQCAt_D0

4

Dropping her books on the kitchen counter, Grace is surprised to find her grandfather hovering over a pot at the stove. "Hey Grandpa," she greets.

George turns from the pot greeting her back with a smile. "Hey kiddo. How was your day?"

She shrugs noncommittally, leaning against the counter beside him. "It was ok. What are you making?" She peers into the pot curiously.

"My famous chilly. Your Mom is feeling a little under the weather and I thought I'd take over dinner duty so that she can rest."

Grace frowns. She hadn't felt her mother's presence when she arrived home. If she was sick, she would have felt it immediately. "Is she upstairs?"

George nods.

"I'll go see if she needs anything."

Leaving the kitchen, she heads upstairs to her mother's favourite spot. The fireplace is burning gently and the soft glow casts shadows across the walls and furniture. Her Mom is curled up on the couch, sound asleep.

There's a blanket laying on the back of the couch and she grabs it, laying it gently over her mother.

"Thank you," Cassie murmurs.

"I didn't mean to wake you."

Her mother smiles, waking from her sleep. "I'm glad you did." Pulling herself up on the couch, she makes room for her daughter beside her.

Grace hesitates a minute. Their argument from the night before still hangs between them and she's not sure if she's figured her feelings out yet.

"We don't have to talk about last night," Cassie offers.

Her mother's patience is what undoes her. Sitting beside her, she catches the tears as the well in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Mom."

Cassie brushes her daughters hair off of her shoulder, rubbing her back. "You were upset and had every right to those feelings."

She shakes her head, wiping her eyes. "...I want you to be happy it's just...I don't know how much more I can lose."

"Oh honey," Cassie soothes. "I'm not going anywhere."

"...what about Sam?" She questions. "...Ryan and John were here one minute and now Ryan is in Chicago and John's in the Maldives."

Cassie exhales, nodding. "I didn't know you felt this way."

"I really like Sam, Mom, and Nick...I don't want to wake up one morning and there be a for sale sign next door." Her mother is silent beside her and it's then she notices the cup of herbal tea and ginger capsules on the coffee table.

"I don't want that either," Cassie admits. "Sam and I have thought about the what if's and we think that the possibilities, the feelings we have for each other deserve a chance. We can't predict the future or avoid living our lives for fear of pain and change."

She knows she can't control what happens between her Mom and Sam anymore than she could control what happened to her Dad. And she knows the last thing her father would want would be for them to avoid living their lives.

"I think I just need time," she says softly.

"Of course," her mother soothes.

"I can see that you and Sam are really happy together….and I want you to be happy, Mom."

Her mother reaches for her, and she goes without hesitation into her embrace.

"I want you to be happy too, Grace."

She nods, drawing closer to her. That familiar electricity and warmth she's come to find comfort in her mothers embrace is missing, and Grace pulls back, studying her. "How are you feeling?"

"Not like myself, but I feel so much better now."

"Grandpa is making chilli; I'll bring you up a bowl when it's ready."

"That would be great, thank you, honey."

She leans in, giving her mother a kiss and another hug. "I love you."

"I love you too. More than the stars, the universe-"

"-the galaxy and the milky way," she finishes with a smile.

. . . . . . . . . . . .

It's later than he would like by the time he he gets home, and he half expects Nick to already asleep. The lights are still on when he walks in and Nick is up, waiting for him. There's pizza on the coffee table the gaming system on as he's mid game.

Tossing his brief case on the empty chair, he loosens his tie sitting beside him. "You didn't have to wait up."

"When you weren't home for dinner, I wan't sure what your day was like," Nick comments, pausing the game.

He's taken aback a minute. There had been plenty of nights where he had gotten home late to find their apartment in darkness, and Nick nowhere to be found. The fact that they've gotten here, to this place….he's not going to take it for granted.

"That means a lot to me, Nick."

His son nods, looking down. "I was reminded today of how much we've changed since coming to Middleton….how much better our relationship is."

He runs a hand down the back of his head, gripping his shoulder. "That's all I've ever wanted."

Nick twirls the joysticks on the controller between his thumbs, nodding. "You dating Cassie….it isn't going to change that, is it?"

"Of course not," he reassures. "You are the most important thing in my life." Nick holds his gaze and there's a worry in his eyes that he hasn't seen since he was a little boy. "You're worried about what happens if it doesn't work out."

"…I like it here. I don't want to move again and I've got friends here….really good friends."

He knows he's speaking of Grace and the thought of his son losing one of the best friendships he's ever had causes a tightness in his chest.

"….and I like having Cassie around," he reveals quietly.

He exhales deeply, leaning forward on his knees. "Yeah?"

The joysticks click and bend under his thumbs as his gaze drops to the controller in his hands. "…At first I thought it was kind of weird how she would just pop up places and seemed to know always what to do or say, but now….she's really down to earth and she actually listens to me," he shrugs his shoulders, his thumbs stilling. "She's never treated me like a screw up."

He's at a loss for words. Nick's jaw jumps several times before his thumbs go to work again. Sam reaches for the controller, taking it from his hands and placing it on the coffee table in front of them. "She means a lot to you, huh?" He questions.

"I know I shouldn't fee that way, I mean, I have a mom-"

He shakes his head, cutting him off. "-you have nothing to be sorry for. I get it, believe me, I get it."

Cassie makes everything so uncomplicated.

Nick leans forward on his own knees so that he's shoulder to shoulder with his father. "I know we don't really talk about stuff like this but…I just wanted you to know."

The regret washes over him. His son is a nervous wreck beside him and he regrets not making the time, not putting him first when he was younger. From the moment Linda had placed him in his arms, being his father has been the single most important job he would ever have, and yet somewhere along the way he lost sight of that. Somewhere along the way he put his career in front of him.

"We need to talk about stuff like this, ok?…I know I haven't been there and talking isn't exactly something I excel in, but I'm going to do better."

Nick simply nods, and he runs a hand down the back of his head again. "Would you rather that Cassie and I not do this?"

"I want you to do whatever makes you happy, Dad. I just needed you to know that I'm invested in this too."

He looks over at him and it's there in his eyes; Cassie fills that void his mother has never seemed to fill.

Rising from the couch, Nick turns off the gaming system, closing the box of pizza. "I'm going to head to bed."

Before he can leave the living room, he stops him. "Nick."

His son turns to face him.

"You're not a screw up." Sam watches the change in him, the way he withdraws as if to protect himself. His head drops as he shoves his hands into his pockets and the sight of it, watching his son shrink from his affirmation shakes him to his core.

He's responsible for this.

Every time he berated him for getting in trouble. Telling him that he was disappointed in him and his grades. His angry tone. His words.

For never seeing all the good in his son.

His throat tightens at the lost little boy in front of him. Reaching for him, Sam pulls him into arms. "You're not a screw up and I'm sorry for making you feel as if you were."

Nick is still next to him.

"You're smart, and kind. You've got the best sense of humour and you're a great friend," he begins softly. "I'm so incredibly proud of you. I always have been."

Nick's arms band around him, his forehead dropping into his shoulder.

He cradles the back of his head."You are….the very best thing that has ever happened to me," he continues, his voice catching briefly. "…and I don't know what my life would be like without you. You're not a screw up," he repeats.

Nick's arms band around him tighter and he can feel the dampness seeping through his shirt at his shoulder. Kissing the side of his head, he holds him. "I love you, Nick."

"I love you too, Dad."

It's muffled and barely above a whisper, but he hears it.

. . . . . . . . . . . .

"Hi Sam," she greets just as he turns the corner, appearing in the den doorway.

"You heard me coming," he reasons, entering the room.

She smiles, pausing the movie she had been watching, scooting over as he joins her on the couch. "I didn't expect to see you tonight."

He nods, acknowledging how late it is, his hand coming to rest on her calves that are tucked beneath a fuzzy blanket. "I wanted to check in, see how you're feeling."

She doesn't doubt his concern, but there's something just below the surface that's weighing on him. "I'm feeling much better; thank you for checking on me."

He nods again, exhaling.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She questions.

He smiles, shaking his head. "Is it that obvious?"

Tilting her head, she gives him a reassuring look.

"Do you want me to start with how I've been a terrible father, or at the part where I may have screwed things up with Grace?"

She can feel his guilt as he leans forward on his knees, rubbing his face. "The beginning always seems to be a good place." He begins with his conversation that morning with Grace and her heart swells at hearing just how much he cares for her daughter.

"She made a comment about how I wasn't her father and I stupidly responded that I wasn't trying to be and the look on her face…" his voice trails off as he shakes his head. "….it felt like my insides were being twisted inside out. I didn't mean for it to come out like that."

"I know you didn't," she comforts. "Grace knows that too, Sam."

He looks over at her. "Cassie…that day she was brought into the emergency room, my heart stopped. It was like it was Nick lying there and…" he exhales, rubbing his face again. "…I know I could never take the place of her father but I know there isn't anything I wouldn't do for her."

Tears prick the back of her eyes and she reaches for his hand, taking in into her own. "Sam…I don't know what to say," she admits, her voice catching. She has been worried from the moment he had agreed to teach Grace how to drive, of the attachment she could see her daughter developing. Grace had longed for that presence in her life, and she was grateful that Sam had been kind, going above and beyond what she could have ever asked. "Grace and I talked today and a big part of her fear is losing you. She's grown so attached to you."

"Grace isn't the only one. Nick and I talked tonight and he's just as attached to you….Grace isn't the only one missing a parent."

As her surprise dissipates, she understands the worry he's feeling. "I feel the same way about Nick," she says softly. "I know what it's like to so desperately want your mother in your life."

He squeezes her hand, raising it to his lips, holding it there.

"He's a great kid, Sam. He's been an incredible friend to Grace and he's grown so much since moving to Middleton. There isn't anything I wouldn't do for him either," she echos.

"So what do we do if this doesn't work out?" He questions.

Reaching for him, she lifts his gaze to meet hers. "The last thing either of us wants to do is disappoint Nick or Grace, right?"

He nods.

"That has to be enough," she reasons. "We're not walking into this relationship naively, Sam. We know what's at stake: there's a lot to lose, but so much more to gain."

He smiles a little, exhaling. "You're right. We can't control the future only today. Right now."

"Right now," she repeats softly.

He holds her gaze for a long minute before speaking. "Thank you, for caring for Nick the way you do."

Leaning in, she presses her lips to his in a gentle kiss. "No thanks required."

He kisses her back just as gently, before dropping his forehead to hers. "I think I've reached my max word count for today."

She laughs, and he smiles, steeling another quick kiss.

"I should go," he announces.

Looking into his blue eyes, she nods. They're considerably calmer than when he arrived and they carry that familiar charm that causes a warmth in the pit of her stomach.

He presses another kiss to her lips as he rises from the couch. "Thank you for listening."

"Anytime." He heads for the door and she calls after him. "Sam?"

"Yeah?"

"You're not a terrible father."

He stills in the doorway, deflating a little.

"You're allowed to make mistakes; don't be so hard on yourself."

Inhaling deeply, he nods. "Got it," he says softly.

TBC